The Gaming Report requires IE4+ or Netscape 4+ with Javascript enabled. The Gaming Report is opinion, satire and comedic exaggeration and is intended solely as reader entertainment and is in no way, form or shape a publication of record, an official gazetteer or authorized compendium of factual information. To unsubscribe from this service send an email to unsubscribe@gamingreport.com with "unsubscribe" as the subject. Send all comments, requests, complaints, etc. to comment@gamingreport.com CASINOS BUY FACE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE Latest technology has provided British Columbia’s casinos to recognise unwanted customers by computer face recognition software. Imagis Technologies Inc. announced on Thursday that Gateway Casinos Inc. will install Imagis’s software in three of its casinos in British Columbia and one of its Alberta venues. Imagis’s software recognizes a person's face if they appear in front of a security camera and matches it to a database of known offenders providing an exact identification of that person. The software, called CABS (which stands for computerized arrest and booking system), is based on biometrics - an area of technology that recognizes people from their personal characteristics. Other forms of biometrics include fingerprint and iris identification. The user will take a video image of someone entering the casino and the software scans the central area of the face and the bone structure. The software doesn't look at things like hair or beards or anything that can be changed. Rather, it centers in on the eyes, the bridge and tip of the nose and calculates angles and ratios based on that. The software then performs a high-resolution scan of the area. It picks up about 250 points reflecting things like the angle of the eye socket, location of cheekbone and other features. From that, the software uses “mathematical processes” to produce a digital signature of one’s face which is about 60 bytes long. In Gateway’s case, the software will be linked to video cameras in the casino, which in turn will be linked to the casino’s database of ‘undesirables’. As soon as an unwelcome patron walks into the premises, Gateway’s security team is alerted and the individual is shown the door. Apparently the casino has been beta testing the software for two months and was pleased enough with the results to purchase it for the whole company. Imagis also sells the software out of the box but has plans by the end of the year to make the face recognition product available for download over the Internet. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto and law enforcement officers in California are also using Imagis’s computerized arrest and booking system software. TRIBE MAY WANT CASINO NEAR PAXTON The Miami Indians, who have sued to reclaim 2.6 million acres in eastern Illinois, have talked with Ford County officials about developing a resort near Paxton that could include a casino. A consultant for the Oklahoma-based tribe has talked with county officials and searched for land for a golf course, hotel and American Indian museum. The Indians sued 15 landowners last month in U.S. District Court, seeking to recover land in 15 counties that the tribe contends rightfully belongs to them. State officials said the lawsuit is not about the land, but instead meant to pressure Illinois into letting the Indians open a land-based casino. Talks between the Miami tribe and state government date to 1996. Govs. Jim Edgar and George Ryan have opposed the Indians' desire for a land-based casino, which would require changing state law. If that is the tribe's goal, there is precedent. In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Oneida tribe's claim to land in New York. A deal reached later let the tribe set up a casino, but the legal bickering between the tribe and government officials continues. Ford County officials have not dismissed the idea. "From an economic development point of view, it would be a good thing," said John Goldrick of the Ford County Economic Development Commission. "I would think that something like that, with the jobs that it would generate, would be great economic benefit to Ford County." Julian said the project could generate 3,000 jobs. The Miami Indians are eyeing Ford County because it is at the northern tip of the 15-county area the tribe wants back. Paxton is close to a huge pool of potential customers in Chicago, along a major interstate and needs the jobs, Julian said. Tribal spokesman George Tiger said the lawsuit, pending in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, is not about casinos. The tribe is suing to get back its land, Tiger said. Last week, Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan said he would intervene on behalf of landowners and seek to have the lawsuit dismissed. NET GAMBLING BAN FAILS IN HOUSE The House failed to pass a bill Monday that would stop most forms of Internet gambling. Proponents of the bill had a majority of the votes, but failed to reach the two-thirds mark required by a special process that would have passed the bill. The final vote was 245 to 159, with 32 abstaining. The bill would have banned online wagers on sporting events and casino games, and would have prohibited the sale of lottery tickets online as well. Horse racing, greyhound racing and jai alai were exempted from the bill after a deal was reached last Friday with lawmakers and lobbyists concerned that the bill would prohibit the use of closed-circuit TV for off-track betting. Under a special process known as suspension of the rules, debate on the issue was limited to 40 minutes, but that meant that proponents needed to reach a two-thirds majority to win passage of the bill. In the end, they were 45 votes shy of the total needed for passage. Proponents can try to push for another vote, on a simple majority, at a later date. The bill would have required U.S. Internet service providers to block access to gambling sites, but did not hold them liable if they failed to do so. A similar bill was passed by a voice vote in the Senate last November. The Clinton administration issued a statement saying it strongly opposed the bill and was ``especially troubled'' by the horse racing, dog racing and jai alai exemptions. "The administration strongly opposes H.R. 3125, which appears to be designed to protect certain forms of Internet gambling that currently are illegal, while opening the floodgates for other forms of illegal gambling," the statement said. The vote did not break down neatly along party lines, as 165 Republicans and 79 Democrats voted for the bill, and 44 Republicans and 114 Democrats voted against it. One independent voted for and one against the measure. Revenues from online gambling jumped 80 percent last year to $1.67 billion and are expected to top $3 billion by 2002, according to industry trackers Christiansen Capital Advisors. Online gambling is legal in many parts of Europe, Latin America, Australia, Asia and the Caribbean. Sue Schneider, chairwoman of the Interactive Gaming Council, an industry group, said that she would continue her lobbying campaign. "Obviously, it's not over," Schneider said. "But hopefully, it's an opportunity to open up other avenues of discussion at this point." "If you're going to play the game, play by the rules. But if you're going to play by the rules, know how to play around them." - anonomus THE SMARTEST DOG IN THE WORLD A man walks into a bar and notices a poker game at the far table. Upon taking a closer look he sees a dog sitting at the table. This peaks his curiousity and he walks closer and sees cards and chips in front of the dog. Then the next hand is dealt and cards are dealt to the dog. Then the dog acts in turn with all the other players, calling, raising, discarding, everything the other human players were doing. However none of the other players seemed to pay any mind to the fact that they were playing with a dog, they just treated him like any other player. Finally the man could not longer hold his tongue so between hands he quietly said to one of the players, "I can't believe that dog is playing poker, he must be the smartest dog in the world!" he player smiled and said, "He isn't that smart, every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail." If I won the lottery, I wouldn't be one of those people who immediately quit their jobs. I'd make my boss's life a living hell for a week or two first. MARY LOU A man was quietly reading his paper when his wife sneaks up behind him and whacks him on the head with a frying pan. "What was that for?" he says. "That was for the piece of paper in your pants pocket with the name Mary Lou written on it", she replies. "Two weeks ago when I went to the races, Mary Lou was the name of one of the horses I bet on", he explains. She looks satisfied, apologizes, and goes off to do work around the house. Three days later he's again sitting in his chair reading when she nails him with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him out cold. When he comes to, he says, "What the hell was that for?" His wife replies "Your horse phoned." "In Poker, Maximize the size of the pots that you win; minimize the amount of your money in the pots that you lose." I've searched the net high and low for what I consider the best online casinos on the net, and this is the first of my top picks. Dockside Casino is without a doubt one of the best internet casinos I have ever played at. The connection speed was amazing, no downloading (a big plus in my books) and no waiting. There was the usualy array of games: BlackJack, Video Poker, Roulette ... etc. It also had scratchies too!!! Now I dont know if it was just me or not, but I got a huge payout when I played there. It seemed the odds were unusually stacked in my favour! I just kept winning!!! A very pretty site to look at, I would consider Dockside Casino a hidden gem out of the thousands of other online casino out there today. Check it out now at http://www.docksidecasino.com Send any questions to comment@gamingreport.com QUESTION: Is there any sure fire way to beat the roulette tables? I've heard of people being able to use mathematics and probability to narrow down what to bet on. -David R ANSWER: Thanks for your question David. Unfortunatley no, I'm afraid your sources are misleading. There is no mathematical way to beat the roulette tables, because if the ball lands on a particular number, it has just as many chances of landing on that number on the next spin. This means that there is no way of guessing what number will come up next. The only way to beat the roulette tables is by good old fashioned gambling techniques like the Martingale, Labouchere, Fibonacci, or d'Alembert systems. Try www.rouletteexposed.com for information into these systems. -Mike Send any opinions, beliefs, stories etc to comment@gamingreport.com and we will print them depending on space, originality and humour. 26-07-2000 well, i may as well start off by saying that i believe that internet casinos are nothing compared to the real thing. i mean internet casinos dont have the atmosphere. And internet casinos are antisocial, you dont mingle. even though i play at internet casinos sometimes, i still rather prefer the real thing and i dont understand how so many people can call it a substitue. -Mary 29-07-2000 NET CASINOS ARE KICK ARSE MAN!!!!!!!! PLAY WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU WANT HOW YOU WANT ALL THE TIME!!!!!! ITS WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY BETTER -Trevor.D Copyright © Gamingreport.com All Rights Reserved.